Marine governor.



Pa tented Nov. 4, I902.

'No, 7l2,88l.

W|LSON.- MARINE sovanuon.

(Application filed Feb. 8. 1902.)

v (No Model.)

UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

LIDA WILSON, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MARINE GOVERNOR.

$PEOIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 712,881, dated November4:, 1902.

Application filed February 8, 1902. Serial No. 93,109. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LIDA WILSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pierrepont House, corner Montague and Hicks streets,

Brooklyn, Kings county, State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Inlprovements in Marine Governors, fully described andrepresented in the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to appliances to anticipate and substantiallyprevent the occurrence of racing of the engines, paddles, or

screw-propellers of a vessel in a seaway. Such racing is caused by themotion of the vessel raising the paddles or screw-propellers fromthedepth in the water at which they are nor-E mally immersed, and theconsequently dimin-l ished resistance to the prime-motor engine allowsit to race. This in the case of a steamengine is usually attempted to'bemitigated by the governor or the attendant engineer reducing the supplyof steam to the engine;

but in practice this is found to be inefficient, as the racing has begunbefore the steam-supply can be thus reduced, so that not infrequentlybreakages result to the screw-blades, paddles, or engines. I anticipateand substantially prevent such racing by the follow-1' ing describedappliances, which may be ad-1 justed so as to cut 0d the supply of steamor other motive agent from and set a brake on the engine at any desiredpoints or levels of immersion of the screw-propellers or paddles. In thecase of a Vessel having screw-propel-i protected from externaldamagezorviolence.

This float may be adjusted to suit any desired water-level or draft ofthe vessel, and

from this float a connecting-rod passes, preferably through a tube. Uponthis rod I provide electric contactors of any convenient form, which maybe adjusted and varied to any desired levels or points onthe rod andadjacent thereto, so that as the float and the connecting-rod are movedby the rise or fall of the water and rise or fall of the vessel in theseaway the electric contactors come in contact or are released fromcontact, and thus put the electric current (supplied to and taken fromthese contactors by Wires or any other convenient means) in motionorcause it to cease. These contactors maybe insulated byanyconvenientmeansor materials. While the electric current is flowing, it is led toand operates an electric motor, which has connections to the supply ofthe prime motive power for cutting off'the same and may also haveconnections to a brake for arresting the momentum of the engine and thepropeller-shaft. The electric motor employed has on its shaft a frictiondisk or pulley which contacts with and operates a friction 'disk orpulley on a shaft which closes a valve in the pipe supplying the motiveagent to the prime-motor engine and also contacts with and operates afriction disk or pulley on a shaft working a brake on the prime-motorengine or propeller shaft, or the electric-motor shaft may have twofriction disks or pulleys, one to operate the motive-agent-supplyvalvedisk or pulley, the other to operate the brake disk or pulley. Both themotive-agentsupply valve and the brake are provided wit-h adjustablestops to prevent their being closed or tightened beyond the desiredpoints, and when these are reached their respective disks or pulleyscease to revolve, although those on the electric-motor shaft continue inaction as long as the electric current continues to pass by means of thecontactors on the floatrod, and thereby the motive-agent-supply valveand the brake are held up to their respective stops until the electriccurrent ceases to pass, when the desired point is reached and the screwor paddle is again sufficiently immersed in water. When the electriccurrent ceasesto flowby the separation of the float-rod contactors, themotor at once stops, owing to the friction between the respective disksor pulleys, and the motive-agent-supply valve is immediately reopenedand the brake released by any convenient means, such as springs, levers,or Weights operating automatically. \Vhen desired, the valve may bereopened and the brake released by hand. It is obvious that by providingan electric-current transmission from the captains bridge to theelectric motor the motive-agent-supply valve and engine-brake may beoperated from the bridge irrespective of the float-rod oontactors whenso desired, and thus give the officer there control of the motion of thevessel.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a diagram illustrating across-section of a vessel with the float and suitable connections to themotive-agent-supply valve and brake of a turbine-engine. Fig. 2 is adiagram illustrating an air-cushion for a piston-rod leading from thefloat and means operated pneumatically for opening and closing theelectric circuit.

a designates the hull of the vessel; b, the propeller-shaft.

0 represents a turbine-motor, d the pipe supplying steam or other motivepower thereto, and e a butterfly-damper or balanced valve in suchsupply-pipe, the closing of which cuts off the motive power from theturbine or other prime-motor engine.

f is a brake-wheel upon the propeller-shaft, and g a brake-strapencircling the same and provided with lugs 71., having screw-thread towhich a screw-rod iis fitted. An adjustable stop-screw h is fitted tothe lugs to limit the action of the screw-rod t' to any desired extent,and thereby regulate the pressure of the brake-strap g upon thebrake-wheel f.

The float-chamberj is shown disposed vertically just within the side ofthe vessel, al though it may be placed in any other suitable position,with a passage to admit the flow of water from and to the sea, thepassage being covered and protected by a grating to exclude objectswhich would damage or interfere with the movement of the float.

Z is the float, provided with a vertical rod on, sliding in the guides02. A block 0 is secured adjustably upon the rod m by clampscrew 13 andinsulated from the rod and connected with an electric conductor 3. Aninsulated electric-conductor spring 0 is fixed at the side of the rod mand connected with the opposite electric conductor 3. The block 0 is soadjusted that the fall of the float below its desired determined normallevel carries the block 0 into contact with the electricconductor spring0.

q designates a dynamo for supplying electric current to an electricmotor (1, the circuit-wires being connected to the dynamo, the motor q,and the cont-actors o and 0, so as to energize the electric motor whenthe contactors close the electric circuit upon a fall of the float.

A spindle r is shown attached to the butterfly valve or damper e to turnthe same, and a spring r is provided to hold the damper normally opened.Friction-disks t are attached to the electric-motor shaft and to thespindle a" to turn the damper 6 when the electric motor is energized. Ashaft u is driven by the electric motor in line with the screwrod i whenthe electric motor is energized. A spiral spring 0' is shown upon thescrew-rod i to reverse the screw motion, and thereby release the brake.Adjustable bearings 'u are shown adjacent to the friction-disks t and tto press them together with the desired force. The springs r and r aremade of suflicient strength or power to not only turn the damper e andthe screw-rod t', but to turn the armature and shaft of the electricmotor q in the reverse direction, (when not energized,) as required toopen the damper e and release the brake.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: w represents the normal ordesired waterlevel of the float Z with a given load in the hull a of thevessel. \Vhile the vessel retains its normal position, the float stands,as indicated in the drawings, with the contact-block 0 adjusted upon therod m a little above and apart from the contact-spring 0. When thevessel pitches or rolls, so as to raise the screwpropeller or paddle tobe prevented from racing in any determined degree, (this beingarrangeable at the will of the engineer,) the float falls, and theelectric circuit is closed through the wires 8 s and the electric motorq energized, which immediately cuts off the supply of steam or othermotive agent and applies the brake to the propeller-shaft. spring 0' isextended by the side of the rod m to maintain contact with the block 0(which is adjustable on the rod on) through the descent of the float Zto any required level. The level of the float Z and the adjustment ofthe block 0 on the rod m, would vary with the draft of water occasionedby the load of the vessel. India-rubber cushions a; are shown at the topand bottom of the chamber j to soften the concussion of the float if itmoves to such extreme positions.

Fig. 2 shows a pneumatic cushion for avoiding concussion of the floatand for applying the electric contacts by pneumatic pressure. ydesignates a pneumatic cylinder secured above the float-chamberj andhaving a piston y attached to the float-rod m. A flexible diaphragm z isconnected by a lever z, carrying an insulated contact-piece 0 and theinsulated spring 0 is in this method arranged adjacent to the diaphragmz to make contact with the piece 0 when the diaphragm z is depressed.The fall of the float draws the piston y and bonds the diaphragm zdownward, thus making the contact of closing the circuit to energize theelectric motor, as described above. The float is prevented by thepartial vacuum in the pneumatic cylinder y and by a cushion in thefloat-chamber from descending beyond a certain limit, and the impact ofthe water when reentering the float-chamber j, thereby pushing the floatupward, then The presses the diaphragm z outward andseparates thecontacts 0 and 0 as indicated by the dotted lines marked 0 in Fig. 2.

vHaving thus set forth the nature of the invention, What is claimedherein is 1. The means to prevent racing of marine engines, comprising adamper in the steam or other motive-agent-supply pipe, an appliance tohold the damper normally open, an electric motor with friction-driver toclose the damper when the said motor is energized, a float actuated bythe variations of Waterlevel relative to the vessel, with means actuatedby the float when falling below the desired determined level to closethe electric circuit of the electric motor. 7

2. The means to prevent racing of marine engines, comprising abrake-wheel operating on the prime motor, or the shaft, a strapencircling the said brake-wheel with stop to adjust and regulate thepressure of the strap, a screw-spindle with nuts for pressing the strapon the brake-wheel, a spring to turn the spindleso as to release suchpressure, an electric motor with friction-driver for turning thescrew-spindle to apply the brake, a float actuated by the variations'ofwater-level relative to the vessel, with means actuated by the floatwhen falling below the desired determined level to close the electriccircuit of the electric motor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

LIDA WILSON.

Witnesses:

THOMAS S. CRANE, WALTER H. TALMAGE.

